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(May 21, 2014) - The Portland Bureau of Transportation has just installed bicycle lanes on both sides of SW Vermont Street from SW Capitol Highway to SW 10th Avenue as part of a repaving project that gives a fresh look to the street and safer connections to two schools.

The Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 originally identified this section as a Neighborhood Greenway (previously known as “bicycle boulevards”). Community input from residents, the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, SW Trails, Rieke Elementary, and the Hillsdale Farmers Market and further analysis by PBOT engineering staff resulted in installing bike lanes instead of a shared road treatment common with Neighborhood Greenways.

“The steepness of the hill made a bike lane a better choice for the uphill portions. Since we had sufficient street width, we also chose to add a bike lane to the downhill portions. Incorporating bike lanes to each side should discourage speeding by creating the perception of a narrower roadway,” said PBOT project manager Kyle Chisek.

The lane configuration and existing street width allowed PBOT to keep automobile parking in the commercial area of SW Vermont St. near the intersection of Capitol Highway. The project removed auto parking on the south side of SW Vermont from SW Chestnut up to the commercial area near Capitol Highway.

Delayed due to program cuts to PBOT’s FY 2012-13 budget, PBOT reduced the project cost significantly by incorporating the lane reconfiguration into a scheduled repaving of SW Vermont.